Chapter Twelve: The Blonde Woman in the Neighborhood

Cold Hanyan smiled and said, “I’ve bought everything. Here, take it.”
She handed a large bag of items to Lin Chen, then curiously stepped into his room.

The room was very small, consisting of a single small chamber with a toilet and a tiny stove.
The space could barely fit a bed, a computer desk, and a chair. As soon as Cold Hanyan stepped inside, she nearly bumped into Lin Chen’s bed.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable with such a small rental? If you are, you can just go back,” Lin Chen said after receiving the herbs, thinking about refining pills, and speaking directly to Cold Hanyan.

Cold Hanyan glanced at him with a hint of reproach. “Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?”
She sat down directly on Lin Chen’s bed and smiled. “Who said I’m not used to this? Do you think I grew up as a spoiled young lady with everything handed to me? Though it’s small, it feels quite cozy—just a bit messy.”

“Messy? Nonsense. I even swept last night,” Lin Chen replied, surprised that she seemed genuinely unbothered by the place. But since she mentioned it was messy, he argued back.

Cold Hanyan pointed to a few corners. “Look, these spots aren’t clean. Where’s your broom?” She then spotted the broom by the bathroom door and went to grab it for sweeping.

Lin Chen quickly grabbed her hand, “No, no, Miss, what are you trying to do? I clean my own room.”

“Hmph! You don’t appreciate kindness!” Cold Hanyan said irritably.

Then she curiously asked Lin Chen, “You’re such a skilled doctor, why live in a place like this?”

Lin Chen didn’t answer. He couldn’t exactly say he had just inherited his skills and that his previous salary only allowed him to afford such a place.

Seeing Lin Chen remain silent, Cold Hanyan stopped asking and simply sat on his bed, looking around with curiosity, as if everything about him fascinated her.

Lin Chen sighed, “Aren’t you leaving?”

Cold Hanyan pouted, “It’s the weekend, and I don’t have anything to do.”

You’re free, but I’m busy, he thought to himself but didn’t say it outright, especially since she had just helped him buy supplies.

When Lin Chen first met Cold Hanyan, she was clearly an icy beauty, cold and curt, speaking as little as possible. Now she had suddenly turned into a little girl. Women really are unpredictable.

They say once you melt an iceberg, there’s a volcano beneath. Could Cold Hanyan be like that? But he hadn’t done anything to melt this icy beauty.

What Lin Chen didn’t know was that Cold Hanyan was a medical enthusiast. She was extremely curious about his medical skills and, after witnessing him treat patients twice, had grown somewhat admiring. Especially last night, Lin Chen’s arrival was like a prince charming rescuing a damsel in distress, a memory she couldn’t forget.

Lin Chen could only say, “If you want to sit, then sit. Suit yourself.”

After saying this, he opened the herbs Cold Hanyan had brought and began to check them over. At first, he nodded in satisfaction, but then frowned, saying, “Something’s not right.”

Cold Hanyan asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Did I buy the wrong herbs?”

Lin Chen’s eyes gleamed as he looked at her. “Did you add money to buy extra herbs for me?”

He knew the prices of various herbs well; 100,000 yuan wouldn’t buy this much. Cold Hanyan had added at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

Cold Hanyan shrugged casually, “You scared me there; I thought I bought the wrong things. Some looked good, so I bought more. You… you should take better care of your health.”

Lin Chen was puzzled. “Why are you blushing?”

“Huh? Am I?” Cold Hanyan touched her cheek, which was indeed a little flushed.

Embarrassed to voice her thoughts, she shyly said, “Anyway, you should nourish your body well. I didn’t add that much money.”

Lin Chen shook his head. “No, I can’t accept this without earning it. I helped you treat Chen Tianpeng, you helped me sell the medicine. That’s even. There’s no need for you to spend extra on herbs. I’ll return the surplus to you.”

For some reason, seeing her eager to distance herself from him, Cold Hanyan felt both wronged and angry. “Suit yourself! If you give it back to me, I’ll just throw it away. If you don’t want it, then forget it! You don’t appreciate kindness!”

She sounded like a sulking little girl.

“Uh… alright then,” Lin Chen said, seeing her mood, he stopped refusing. After some thought, he put the herbs away and asked,

“You wanted to learn my medical skills, right? If I teach you acupuncture directly, you won’t understand. How about I explain some basic knowledge about human acupoints instead?”

“Really? You’re willing to teach me medicine?” Cold Hanyan clapped excitedly, not expecting him to agree.

Lin Chen had thought this through carefully.

On one hand, from last night’s encounter, Cold Hanyan, though somewhat standoffish, was kind-hearted. Besides, he wasn’t planning to teach her everything about acupuncture, pill refining, or massage—just the basics. So it wasn’t a big deal.

Even if it was just basic knowledge, if Cold Hanyan could grasp it, her medical skills would improve significantly.

“Really, I can’t explain the more advanced stuff clearly, but I can teach you about the human meridian system and acupoints. These form the foundation of acupuncture.”

They sat down on the bed. Cold Hanyan’s face flushed with excitement, never expecting such a pleasant surprise today.

“Let’s start with acupoints. There are countless points on the human body, with 365 main ones, each with its own function. Different combinations have unique effects. To understand all their mysteries, you first need to know about the human meridian system, especially the twelve primary meridians and the Ren and Du meridians…”

Lin Chen began to speak animatedly, his expression serious. At this moment, he was no longer a poor youth in a small rental but a medical sage. This unique aura captivated Cold Hanyan, who stared at him with fascination.

“Why are you staring at me? Listen carefully. If you’re truly interested in traditional medicine, you must master these dry, basic concepts.”

Lin Chen noticed Cold Hanyan’s intense gaze and felt a strange flutter, as if he were a white rabbit being watched by a wolf.

“Ah? Oh, okay…” Cold Hanyan snapped out of it, blushed, and then listened attentively.

Though Cold Hanyan was fully focused, she still found much of it confusing. She had some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine but had mainly studied Western medicine.

What Lin Chen explained was basic to him, but even many experts would find some points difficult to grasp, let alone Cold Hanyan.

Still, despite not understanding everything, she listened earnestly. When confused, she relied on her sharp mind to remember as much as possible.

She sensed how precious this medical knowledge was, growing ever more admiring of Lin Chen.

He was younger than her but had mastered thousands of years of accumulated Chinese medical wisdom to such a degree.

Sometimes Lin Chen paused to ask if she understood and to what extent. Based on her answers, he would explain any difficult points more thoroughly.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Lin Chen felt it was enough and said, “Let’s stop here. Just digest what I taught you, and it will definitely help.”

Cold Hanyan nodded happily, feeling she had learned more today than from months of reading medical books. It had been well worth coming.

Seeing it was midday, Cold Hanyan said, “Lin Chen, let’s go out for a walk this afternoon. I don’t have anything to do anyway.”

Lin Chen scratched his nose, thinking, You being free doesn’t mean I am. I still have pill refining to do.

He said, “No, I have things to do this afternoon.”

“Oh?” Cold Hanyan asked, curious, “What things?”

Seeing Lin Chen hesitate to answer, Cold Hanyan assumed he was lying. She grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. “Come on, take me out for a walk. I rarely get a day off.”

Lin Chen had no choice but to accompany her downstairs. Amid a group of envious and jealous stares from men, he got into Cold Hanyan’s Porsche and drove out of the complex.